Weekend rain doesn't put a stop to fire ban

Weekend rain doesn't put a stop to fire ban

WE may have received 10 to 13mm of recorded rain over the weekend, however the expected warm and dry conditions to come will be keeping fireys on high alert.

A Bureau of Meteorology spokesman said the storms that passed over the Granite Belt region on the weekend brought some localised higher rainfall totals, however these conditions are not expected to stick around.

“There is a chance for some showers this afternoon, however those are a bit further along the coast rather than being in the Stanthorpe region,” she said.

As a result of these upcoming conditions, the Darling Downs region is under severe fire danger.

“We are moving into quite hot, dry and windy conditions which are elevating fire dangers,” she said.

First Officer of Sugarloaf Rural Fire Brigade and Treasurer of the Stanthorpe Combined Rural Group, James Massey, would like to remind people that the current fire ban still stands until further notified.

“The total fire ban still stands until midnight of December 6.

“It will be reviewed then, and I think in actual fact it will be extended,” Mr Massey said.

Mr Massey expressed his concern with the expected warm and dry conditions arising, and gave his advice on how residents can do their part to ensure the area stays fire free.

“Yes, we had rain, but there is two things people need to remember – one is lightning strikes which are very likely, and the other thing people have to be very aware of as well which is so important is leaf litter,” Mr Massey said.

“Because it is so dry we have leaves falling off the trees and onto the grounds – if we were to get a lightning strike or somebody being silly, we still actually have fuel to burn.

“The first thing that I would suggest to people is make sure around your house is as clean as it possibly can be.

“If you can, get up onto your roof and make sure you clear all of the leaves from your roof and out of your gutters.

“Ember attacks are the most likely way to burn your house down.

“Make sure you own a garden hose to be able to wet down around your house if there was a fire coming.

“Be aware of the fact that these winds will dry out the ground.

“We had rain that’s great, but these winds are going to dry the ground out alot quicker than if we didn’t have the wind,” Mr Massey said.